The Search For Peace

Chapter 46

Where is Juliet?! The thought bugged Alyssa like an itch as she stared at the unread text on her phone. She decided to call her best friend instead, when Ralph addressed her and Carter.

"Okay, so this is what we'll do." He proceeded to say as they walked swiftly towards the vacant bus stop. The roads were all but empty because of the late hour, only their frantic shadows casting upon it by the dim lit sidewalk. "I'll go to the Taurus Clan to inform Sir Aiden, while the two of you go get Lady Julliana."

"Sounds like a plan." She didn't fail to notice the tremble in Carter's voice when he said that. Maybe he was just cold?

As the two of them began heading back the way they came, towards the forest beside their school, Ralph called out to them from the glass walls of the stop. "Call me when you make it there, okay?"

"Sure, don't worry!" Carter cupped his hands over his mouth and yelled back. It was like they were lovers saying goodbye, Alyssa thought.

They entered the covert from the space given at the end of the road, the trail steep and quite downward. It was very dark, too, so they opened the lights to their phones as they slid deeper inside. Alyssa shivered, the cold breeze shuffling the leaves, an ominous melody arousing from their shaking. She watched Carter's back in front of her to soothe her nerves, his red coat stinging her eyes.

"You do know we're going the right way, right?" She tried at conversation.

"H-huh?" He stammered and passed her a brief glance. "Yeah, of course. It is my clan."

She furrowed her brows at him. "Are you scared?"

He froze in his tracks, startling her. The light to his phone cast this way and that. Worried, she scurried to his side and shone her light on his face. Sure enough, he was shaking, his jaw clenched as he fought to still himself. "It's...kinda dark so...."

As if on impulse, she found his clammy hand and clung onto it, and he turned to her with utter shock on his face. It was embarressing to do so, even if she had the right intentions, but she wanted to be of some help. Atleast, this time. "It'll be okay." She lifted their locked fingers to show him everything was fine, adding a confident smile. "We're in this together."

At first, all he did was stare. But then, ever so slowly, a smile cracked his tight lips. "Yeah."

Suddenly, Alyssa's cheeks felt very hot, and she looked away, questioning her hasty decisions all together. What the heck was she doing?! "Let's go...!" She announced shakily, marching her stiff body forward.

Since both their minds were preoccupied by flowery things, they didn't even notice the dreadful path and made it to the Virgo Clan entrance in no time. They didn't need their lights anymore, as the area was practically glowing, the vines lacing the arched gate glittering a sterling silver.

"Wow..." Alyssa breathed out, putting down her phone. This was the first time she'd ever come here, even though she was a Virgo herself. A mystical hue enveloped the area, dust like fireflies floating about. She all but giggled.

"It's nice, isn't it?" Carter looked at her fondly, his nervousness all but gone.

Alyssa nodded enthusiastically, running up to the fluffy mud steps. "I've never seen anything like it! God, if I knew it was this beautiful here, I'd come everyday!"

"Is that so?" Their heads jerked to the left at the sound of the new voice. A boy with straight blonde hair and cross-shaped earrings glared at them, a hand in the pocket of his black suit pants. His name was Karl Anderson, they knew. He was the guy that had picked a fight in the cafeteria the other day. Alyssa always had a feeling there was something fishy about him.

"What are you doing here?" Carter was on full defense mode, his legs falling back in a stance.

"Isn't it obvious?" The boy advanced, and Alyssa inched closer to Carter's side. "I'm here to stop you."

She was confused. "Stop us from what?"

He barked out a sarcastic laugh. "Don't play dumb with me. I know you're trying to let the leaders know about what happened." He pulled out a nasty dagger from inside his coat. "And I won't let you."

"Wait, what's this got to do with you, though?" Alyssa was still confused.

Carter nudged her slightly, mumbling: "He's a Capricorn, Alyssa," under his breath.

Recognition dawned on her face, and she gasped with surprise. "Oh, no wonder, oh my God, I didn't even notice!"

Karl was clearly agitated by her attitude. He cocked his neck to the side and squinted. "Am I a joke to you?"

Well, she'd certainly hit the wrong button. "No, no, not at all!" She chuckled sheepishly, waving her hands in front of her in denial. "It's just that, I always thought you were nothing but an attention seeking dummy with no life." The girl snorted, and the boy snapped. "I never thought you'd be apart of The Clans, of all things." Alyssa was the kind of person to realize she's said something wrong, after she's said it. Which was a good thing, most of the time. However, this wasn't one of them.

Karl began to tremble with fury, pointing his knife at the two of them, mostly at Alyssa, his eye twitching like crazy. "You wanna know how strong I am, huh?" The girl gulped, shrinking behind Carter's shoulder. "Then watch me paralyze you! Arcane Lightning Craft!" They both stopped breathing as he plunged his weapon into the earth, shouting: "Shockwave!"